Cardinals rumors: St. Louis 'unlikely' to re-sign Kyle Lohse

St. Louis Cardinals general manger John Mozeliak told reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that it is "probably unlikely" that the team re-signs right-hander Kyle Lohse:

He called re-signing Kyle Lohse "probably unlikely."

It became evident this season that the Cardinals weren’t serious in keeping Lohse around beyond 2012. They did not approach the right-hander about an extension and Lohse said he was not willing to "go to them" to start negotiations.

The Cardinals have veteran arms such as Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia returning, and Mozeliak told reporters that young starters, including Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller, will all be vying for a spot in the team’s rotation next spring.

Most expect Lohse to receive a nice payday this winter, with Buster Olney of ESPN speculating he could fetch a deal in the range of the one Mark Buehrle signed with the Miami Marlins last year (four-years, $58 million).

Lohse silently put together an extremely impressive campaign this season, maintaining an ERA of 2.86 over 33 starts spanning 211 innings. He’s posted an ERA of 3.90 over five seasons with the Cardinals.